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See the fishing tripsBarbel Fish
all year
3 kg
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The Barbel fish belongs to the Cyprinids Family. Its maximum weight is 9 kg, and its maximum size is 90 cm but sometimes, it can reach 1 m. It can live 15 years. The Spawning period starts in May and end in July. It can lay up to 9,000 eggs. You can fish Barbel all year. The minimal weight catch is 3 kg. The barbel fish is hard to catch especially in an area where it feels at ease.
The Barbel fish, with its streamlined body, shows its perfect adaptation to rivers animated by a more or less rapid stream. Depending on its layout, its color, which may be different, is uniform and slightly lighter on the belly. Barbels are sometimes "grey", sometimes "greenish", and sometimes "golden". Its snout is characteristic and clearly protrudes from its mouth. Note that the dorsal fin has a highly ossified thorny radius.
Barbel fish Lifestyle
The barbel is a groundfish, it lives in schools of a few dozen individuals.
Barbel reproduction occurs from May to June in gravel banks in shallow areas. The reproduction period is quite hectic. Males and females run endless races side by side. The female then digs a cavity in the gravel and lays, in several stages, 3000 to 9000 eggs at a shallow depth. The males then release their milt... After 10 to 20 days of incubation, depending on the water temperature, the young fry hide under the stones, feed on phytoplankton and zooplankton and then become burrowers, feeding on larger prey.
The barbel feeds on small ground animals, uses its barbels to flush them out and turns the stones over with its nose to capture them. The menu consists of insect larvae, small crayfish, fish spawning or gammares (freshwater shrimp).
Barbel fish Habitat
The barbel fish frequents the fast and medium-stream parts of well-oxygenated watercourses, rivers and medium rivers with cobble or gravel bottoms. Barbels are very sensitive about oxygen deprivation which is why they like to live in a more active environment.
Barbel is present in France, Benelux, Germany, Ukraine and the Slavic countries.
Barbel fish Angling
To fish for barbel, you can choose between casting and laying fishing. Other methods of approach are quiver fishing barbel, Bolognese fishing, rolling fishing or summer fishing using insects.
It should be noted that fishing from barbel to feeder is probably the best technique to catch this groundfish. However, some fishermen also opt for fly fishing for barbel, using nymphs as bait.
When fishing with a feeder, it is important to fill the feeder with maggots or bait since the feeder will distribute the bait in front of the hook. Remember to recharge it every 5 to 10 minutes. You can also fish for leaded barbel, which will be baited with Gruyere, maggots or earthworms.
In order to choose the best position, you must first of all ensure that it is exposed to eddies and counter-streams near the shoreline. In this way, the downstream side of bridges and dams are often good places to fish for barbel.
Barbel can be fished all year round in 2nd category rivers! But the barbel fishing season is more advantageous in summer.
